客禮概念與同治朝的覲禮之爭

由於東西國際秩序的差異，讓覲見禮問題往往成為中外衝突的焦點，甚至是外人要脅的手段之一。1873年同治皇帝親政後，各國公使「親遞國書」的要求，無法再拖延下去，清政府也不得不正視「外國公使覲見禮」的相關問題。中外雙方反覆爭論各項儀節後，終於以各國公使行五鞠躬禮、福華門下馬下轎、西階左門入紫光閣覲見，作為「外國公使覲見禮」的妥協方案。同治十二年制訂的「外國公使覲見禮」呈現一種不中不西的狀態，可說是總理衙門顧慮到各方勢力後，運用中國傳統的「客禮」概念與西方國際法而拼湊的覲見禮方案。透過「客禮」概念的再詮釋，公使團請覲之舉，竟變成皇帝優禮外人的表現。再加上各項儀節的精心安排，使「外國公使覲見禮」的本質仍是君臣名分的等差位階，並未達到公使團期待「平行往來」的目的。由此可見，總理衙門重提「客禮」的策略相當成功，不但讓保守派人士無法阻礙請覲之事，也能在外國公使的壓力下，巧妙地維持「賓禮體制」，保全了皇帝的至尊地位。

關鍵字

客禮；朝貢禮；外國公使覲見禮；賓禮體制；三揖禮；五鞠躬禮

並列摘要

Due to world order and cultural differences, China and foreign countries often came into conflicts on guest etiquette. After Emperor Tung-Chih (同治皇帝) ascended the throne, it seems impossible to postpone solving the problems of foreign ministers' way of presenting credentials in person (親遞國書). A compromise was reached after a long dispute over each rule of foreign ministers' etiquette (外國公使覲見禮)-foreign ambassadors, instead of kneeling down and kowtowing, had to stand and bow five times, come down from the horse or sedan chair at Fuwha Door (福華門), and enter the palace from the left stairs of Ziguang Pavilion (紫光閣). Having considered the unbalanced power between Chinese and foreign countries, Zongli Yamen (總理衙門) set up ”Foreign Ministers' Etiquette Formula.” This formula, neither of Chinese or Western style, showed a combination of both Chinese traditional guest etiquette and international laws. Through reinterpretation of Chinese concepts of quest rituals, foreign ambassadors' way of seeing the Emperor turned out to be a courteous treatment given by him. In addition, due to the elaborate arrangement of other rituals, the ”Foreign Ministers' Etiquette Formula,” presenting still an unequal status between the monarch and the courtier, actually did not reach foreign ministers' expectation of equal treatment. Zongli Yamen's strategy about the guest ritual was obviously very successful; it not only prevented the conservatives' obtrusion of foreign guests' seeing the Emperor but also cleverly maintained the Chinese Guest Ritual System (賓禮體制) for keeping the supreme position of the Emperor under the pressure of foreign ministers.